Combined book cover and support



March 27,1934. F. J'. OSUCH 52, I

COMBINED BOOK COVER AND SUPPORT Filed April 10. 1933 11 INVENTOR 4 jhxzc/ls nfok Osac/r ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,952,140 7 COlWBI NED' BOOK COVER'A ND SUPPORT Francis John Osuch, Detroit, Mich. "Application April 1933, Serial no. 665,241

2 Claims.

The present invention pertains to book covers and means for supporting the same.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a sturdy and attractive cover and 5 support for a bound volume, such as a telephone directory, which permits removal of such volume and insertion of successive editions, the support for the volume also including means for receiving and supporting a telephone. The invention comprises covers comprised of a front flap, back, and a rear or bottom flap, the bottom flap being provided with supporting legs that are secured together and reinforced by a shelf member that serves as a support for a telephone. The front 5 flap, back, and rear or bottom flap are preferably -formed of metal, and are pivotally connected together with hinges that are so constructed that ninety degrees of pivotal movement is the maximum permitted between the front flap and the back, and ninety degrees of pivotal movement is the maximum permitted between the backand the rear or bottom flap. Thus a cover is provided with means for limiting the relative movement of the parts thereof so that when closed the front tion, and when opened the front flap, back, and the rear or bottom flap extend outwardly in a continuous straight line in a manner to provide a support for the volume that is secured in the covers. I

With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed. out in the appended claims, reference being had to'the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the present cover and support;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the cover, illustrating a volume secured therein, 40 and illustrating the means for limiting pivotal movement of the parts;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the cover; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the cover in an extended open position, and

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified support for the cover.

Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The present cover is preferablyformed of rigid e material, such as metal, and it comprises a front flap 1, a back 2, and a rear or bottom flap 3.

The rear or bottom flap 3 is provided with vertically extending supports or legs 4 that are tied together by a cross member 5 that forms a shelf suitable for receiving a telephone 6. Beneath and rear flaps are maintained in parallel re1a-.

the shelf 5 there may be provided a drawer 7 or a series of drawers if desired. It is obvious that the legs 4 support the flap 3 in a fixed plane, which may be horizontal as illustrated in Fig. 1 or the legs may be substituted by a bracket 8 such as illustrated in Fig. 5, the bracket 8 being secured in any suitable manner to a wall 9 or other vertically extending member to support the bottom flap 3 of the cover in an inclined position as shown, or it may be modified to support the flap 66 in a horizontal position. i 3 It is necessary in order to attain the objects of the present invention that the flaps 1 and 3 be pivotally secured to the back 2. For this purpose the edges of the flaps 1 and 3 that lie adjacent the back 2 are provided with hinge loops 10 1 1 through which hinge pins 11 extend. To limit the relative pivotal movement of such parts there are provided a pair of abutments 12 that are secured to the inside of the back 2 and which engage the flaps 1 and 3 as illustrated in Fig. 2. On the outside of the back 2 there is secured abutments 13, the lower one of which is adapted to engage the legs 4 as illustrated in-Fig. 4, and the other one being provided to engage a similar abutment 8i) 14 that is secured on the outside of the flap 1.

A volume 15 is received within the covers and is secured in place by a mechanism generally designated by the numeral 16. The particular construction of the volume securing mechanism forms no part of the present invention and is therefore not shown and described in detail inasmuch as it forms the subject matter of my prior Patent No. 1,900,461, issued March 7, 1933.

When the cover is in its closed position illustrated in Fig. 1 the rear or bottom flap 3 is held in a horizontal position by the legs 4, and the back 2 extends upwardly at a right angle in relation thereto, the abutment 12 on the back at that time, being in contact with the bottom flap. At

the same time the other abutment 12 is in contact with the front flap 1 and serves to maintain the same in' parallel relation to the bottom flap 3 so that said flap 1 is also held in a horizontal plane and thus serves as a table top. When the cover is opened one of the abutments' I 13 is in contact with the legs 4 and the other is in contact with the abutment 14 and they serve to hold the flaps 1 and 3 and the back 2 in a straight line, in which position the flap 1 serves as a sup- .port for part of the volume 15 when the same opened for access to its contents.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims, and such changes are contemplated.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a book cover formed of a rigid back and rigid front and rear flaps, hinges connecting said flaps to opposite longitudinal edges of said back, a pair of abutments secured to the inside face of said back and adapted to be engaged by said flaps to maintain the same in parallel spaced relation when said flaps are in their closed position, a second pair of abutments secured on the outside face of said back, and means secured to the outside faces of said flaps for engaging said second pair of abutments for limiting the relative hinging movement of flaps and back to maintain said flaps and back in a straight line when opened.

2. A device of the character described comprising a book cover formed of a rigid back and rigid front and rear flaps, hinges connecting said flaps to opposite longitudinal edges of said back, a pair of abutments secured to the inside face of said back and adapted to be engaged by said flaps to maintain the same in parallel spaced relation when said flaps are in their closed position, a second pair of abutments secured on the outside face of said back, an abutment secured to the outside face of said front flap and adapted upon hinging movement of said flap to engage one of said second pair of abutments, and legs directly secured to said rear cover for supporting the same in a fixed plane, the other of said second pair of abutments being adapted to engage two of said legs to limit the hinging movement of said back relative to said rear cover.

FRANCIS JOHN OSUCH. 

